Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

TRAI Directs Indian Telcos to Display Geospatial Network Coverage Maps on Their Website

Share

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is aiming to improve transparency when it comes to network coverage claimed by telecom operators. In its recent guidelines announced last week, the country’s telecom watchdog has directed service providers to display the geospatial network coverage map, its availability, and the signal strength. This is said to enable better transparency and uniformity when it comes to providing wireless access service and help make users more informed decisions.

According to TRAI, telecom service providers in India will be required to display the network coverage map based on actual measurement through physical or network analytics. Alternatively, they can also rely on the industry standard prediction methodology for the same. If the latter is applied for the preparation of coverage maps, the service provider will need to verify a sample against the actual signal strength. It shall be followed by the application of the correction factor to ensure the network coverage deduced using prediction tools is as close to the actual user experience.

The telecom watchdog directs operators to show the cell coverage of 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks in the prescribed colour scheme, with each technology being represented in its designated colour, and having the minimum prescribed signal strength at the outermost boundaries of the coverage area with 50 percent load of its maximum capacity. Any area having signal strength below the aforementioned threshold will be considered as no coverage area for the respective technology, as per the watchdog.

S. No. Technology Threshold level of signal strength at 50% cell loading
1 2G RSSI ≥ -95 dBm
2 3G RSCP ≥ -99 dBm
3 4G RSRP ≥ -110 dBm
4 5G RSRP ≥ -110 dBm

The map should be placed on the landing page of the telecom provider’s website for single-click navigation, the notice stated. Further, a dedicated Coverage map shall be placed in the navigation bar which should lead to the corresponding page. The watchdog says the coverage maps are obligated to have the following elements:

  1. Map base layer: Displays the name of the street, road, highway, village district and State/UT with boundaries.
  2. Technology toggle: Users should have the option to view the coverage of specific technologies (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G). Alternatively, they must also be able to view a unified coverage map.
  3. Search: The user should be able to search the location by looking up the State/ UT/ District/ City/ Village name or by entering latitude and longitude.
  4. Legend: The map should also have appropriate legends to indicate the meaning of different colours or information displayed on the map.

Other optional features include the ability to zoom in/out, a home tab which redirects to the default position, a full-screen mode, and a my location option which centres the coverage map at the location of the user device.

TRAI says telecom providers will also be required to update the coverage maps on a monthly basis or any other frequency. This is also mandatory at the commissioning or the decommissioning of the cell or when a change occurs in the coverage due to the Licensed or Authorized Service Area (LSA) network.